


wild wild whisper

by Phoebmonster



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Childhood Friends, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Romantic Comedy, cowboy sara, lots of americana, lots of horses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-07-27 21:08:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20052574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoebmonster/pseuds/Phoebmonster
Summary: There's a wild, wild whisperBlowin' in the windCallin' out my name like a long lost friendau - ava is a lawyer, back in town after fifteen years, sara is a cowboy who never left - will their past drive them apart, or is it not to late to begin again?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so my love for cowboy sara got ... out of hand. and i wrote this. enjoy.
> 
> make sure you check the dates as some chapters contain flashbacks! if not you'll be confused :)

Ava stood in the office of her boss, Rip Hunter, holding some files and trying not to tap her foot. She wanted to get home before 8 so she could watch two episodes of House Hunters and eat the leftover chinese she had in her fridge, not be stuck waiting for her boss to assign her a case. She expected at least a day’s break, especially after she’d done such a good job wrapping up the Caesar merger, but she was out of luck. She’d been a lawyer for Time & Bureau since she’d graduated law school, and had climbed the ladder, specialising in corporate and environmental law. Now she was in a position to have two assistants and a rather spacious apartment in Washington.

Rip coughed. He spread some paper out in front of her.

"You grew up outside Star City?"

"Yes, mostly. A town called Starling." Ava said. She wondered where this was going, unless Rip was about to propose some crazy scheme where they needed to get married so he could remain in the US -

"We've been contracted by the energy company Neron to facilitate their acquisition of the land around Starling in order to build facilities to begin a fracking operation. I thought you'd be perfect."

Ava breathed a sigh of relief, she would not have been prepared to marry Rip, even for a promotion - then what he said caught up with her. "Wait, what?"  
Rip wasn't listening. "You'd be liaising with a Mr Heywood. He’s the town councillor in charge of leasing the mineral rights -”

“Wait, Mr Hunter, I can’t do this.” Ava said quickly.

“Why not?” Rip had fixed her with a stare.

“I don’t – I don't like going back. I don’t get along well with my family.” 

“I thought your family moved to Fresno?” Rip said, eyebrow raised, and Ava was a little taken aback by his ability to apparently remember every detail of her life. She hadn’t considered them friends.

“They did – it’s just -”

“I’ve already signed you off on this, Ava, I thought I was doing you a favour. Securing a deal like this could make you partner within the year.”

Being made partner was all she’d wanted since she’d joined Time & Bureau, but she couldn’t face ever returning to Starling – Ava sighed.

“Mr Heywood said it’s a done deal. Two weeks, maximum.” Rip said firmly, and that was the end of it.

Ava nodded, faking a smile. “Thank you for this opportunity, Rip.”

///2019//

The mountains loomed ahead, beautiful and imposing, an endless expanse of grey, almost blue rocks. It was early June, so there was only a dusting of snow on the top of the peaks, giving them an almost glittering appearance. The few trees that clung to the side formed a smattering of green on the harsh landscape, growing thicker nearer the base of the mountains, sloping down into ranch land. Ava could just see the dots of ranch houses and cows, and, as she rounded the corner, the town came into view.  
Starling was a small town; a few shops, one café, a post office, a tiny library. It had seemed small even as a child, when she’d first arrived, aged 7, tall for her age and apprehensive, because making friends didn’t come to her as easily as it did to other children, and there were much fewer children in Starling Elementary than at her old school in Star City. She felt the same apprehension coming back now, as she drove down the highway, but quashed it. She had a job to do.

It didn’t take her long to find the house where she was staying. To save her finding a hotel in Star City and commuting in, Mr Heywood had offered to let her stay in an old cottage on his land. His directions were vague and mostly unhelpful, but Ava had had the back roads of Starling memorised since she learnt to drive, and it turned out it was hard to forget something like that.

She rolled up and killed the engine. 

The house was dilapidated and pretty small; in a past life it may have been a cottage for a ranch hand. It was low, only one story, with flaking boards covering the façade, and a small porch. The windows were shuttered and locked tight. Standing on the porch was a man she hadn’t seen since her teens, and it was a little unnerving. She hadn’t mentioned it to Rip, but Mr Heywood had been her school principal before he became a town councillor, and she was still filled with the same apprehension upon seeing him as she was at age 7. She got out and walked towards him, trying to keep her stride confident.

“Ava! It’s been to long.” He said with a grin, and Ava reached out to shake his hand.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Mr Heywood.”

He waved his free hand. “Please, call me Hank. We’re not in school anymore.”

Ava nodded and watched as Hank fished around in his pockets, before pulling out a set of keys.

“These are yours. It’s not much, but there’s electricity and hot water, so it should suit you. If anything goes wrong, just come down to the main house – do you -”

“I remember where it is.” Ava said, feeling slightly guilty about interrupting him, but she was tired and hungry and desperate for a shower. Her flight here had been five hours, then it had been another two hours to drive there from the airport, not even counting the hour she’d spent at baggage claim, which culminated in her shouting at some employee until he found her cases. Suffice to say, she had reached the end of her tether.

Hank just nodded and handed her the keys. “I’ll give you a few days to settle in, so you’re ready to come to my office on Monday.” Ava nodded, and she turned as Hank walked down the steps, where she could now see his horse was tied up, because of course no one in this town drove anywhere, just rode on horses like it was the 1900s. “9 am, sharp!” Hank said, laughing slightly at his own joke, before mounting the horse, giving her a little wave, and riding off into the night.

Ava shut the door behind her and breathed a sigh of relief. She'd been up since 4am, and had only gone to bed at midnight, after she'd packed and given her spare keys to her assistant Gary, with a firm order to water her plants and in return he could use her Netflix account. 

The cottage wasn’t much, with dirty carpets and drab, off white wallpaper which may have once had a floral pattern, a far cry from her place in Washington. All Ava wanted was a bath, but instead she had a bathroom so tiny she could touch all four walls when she sat on the toilet. The shower was a thin little cubicle, with mouldy grouting and a miserable water pressure. It did nothing to wash off the grime from the plane, even when she stayed in for a full half hour. 

The rest of the place wasn't much better - one lumpy couch, a TV and a short bookcase with a sad looking plant on top. The kitchen was pine, and one of the cupboard doors hung crooked. It annoyed her more than it should have. There were pots and pans, but no plates and bowls, only one set of cutlery and definitely no fresh food, but Ava was too tired to drive herself to the town’s only supermarket. 

The bed was big enough - the sheets were scratchy, but Ava didn't care. She set her alarm, and lay there, a little unnerved but the almost total darkness and silence. It was something she wasn’t used to, having lived in a city for almost all of her adult life.

She fell asleep eventually, when exhaustion overtook her.

/// 2019 ///

The one thing Hank had failed to mention was that the house lacked any internet connectivity, barley even a phone signal, so the next morning Ava was forced to drag herself into her hire car and drive towards what she really hoped was still the town’s internet café. When she arrived, she realised it had been turned into something a bit less 2002 and was now quite trendy, with potted plants in the window and a board outside which promised freshly baked cakes.

She stepped inside, and the bell above the door sounded her arrival. The place was quiet, only a few moms with babies and one teenager on his laptop. There was no queue at the counter, as Ava made her way towards it, eyes glued to the board above.

“One coffee, black.”

“Sure, coming right – Ava?”

Ava looked down, and her eyes widened. It was Nora; her best friend who she hadn’t seen or spoken to for nearly 15 years. Nora looked just as shocked as she was, hands still as she held the coffee cup.

“Ava?” She asked again, and Ava smiled nervously.

“Uh – yeah. Hey Nora.”

“Sit down. I’ll bring your order in a minute.” Nora said, and Ava did as she was told, moving to sit by the window. Within a minute, Nora had brought the coffee and was sat down opposite her.

“It’s been a while.” She said, and Ava just nodded; she had the uncomfortable feeling she was being sized up by Nora’s stare. “What brings you back to Starling?”

“I’m working for Hank.” She said, getting straight to the point.

“That business with Neron?” She said, eyebrow raised, and Ava nodded again.

“I’m their lawyer.”

An awkward silence followed, as Ava desperately searched for something to say, when all she could think was how strange it was to see her best friend again. She’d known Nora since she’d moved with her dad to Starling when she was 12, and Ava had been there when her dad was imprisoned for embezzlement and corruption when they were 18. They’d gone through a lot together, and the weight of it hung in the air.

“So how are -”

“What have you -”

They started at the same time, interrupting each-other, and both blushed. Nora signalled she should go first, and Ava smiled, and relaxed, just slightly.

“How are you?”

“Well, uh, I’m working here.” Nora said with a shrug, and as she tapped her fingers on the table, Ava noticed something – a ring, conspicuous by what finger it was on.

“What’s that then?” Ava asked, a note of teasing in her voice as she looked at the hand and raised an eyebrow. Nora smiled, a little embarrassed.

“Oh – well, it’s – it’s Ray. He proposed.”

Ava raised her eyebrows and her face broke into a beaming smile. Nora had had a crush on Ray through high school, but he’d never noticed. 

“That’s amazing. I’m so glad he figured it out.”

Nora smiled back and it almost felt like old times, like Ava had never left. She cleared her throat.

“What’s knew with you?”

Ava opened her mouth, then closed it. She was spared the embarrassment of answering when someone appeared at their table and coughed.

“Nora, we need you in the back.” 

Ava looked up to see Zari, someone she also hadn’t seen since high school. Her excited ‘Hello!’ was met with a scowl.

“Ava.” She said curtly, the turned back to her co-worker. “Nora, please.”

“Okay, I’ll be there in a minute.” Nora said and Zari just shrugged, turned, and walked back behind the counter.

Ava shifted in her seat. She knew coming back wouldn’t be easy, but she hadn’t imagined it would be so hard, so she just took a sip of her coffee and stared out the window instead.

Nora stood up, then turned. “Where are you staying?”

“The old Heywood ranch house.”

Nora nodded. “We should catch up sometime.”

“I’d like that.” Ava said with a grin.

///

She left two hours later, and Nora made her way to the table, where Ava had left a generous tip and a note with her number on it.

“You can’t call her.”

Zari’s voice sounded across the mostly empty café, and Nora raised her eyebrow.

“Why not?”

“Because!” Zari said, waving the cloth she was holding to clean the counter. “She’s working with Hank! He’s trying to turn this town into some natural gas factory. Fracking’s dangerous.”

“Ava’s just working for him. I don’t think she believes it’s … morally right or anything.” Nora said, lowering her voice as she came back behind the counter to rearrange the takeaway cups.

“Well, what about Sara?”

“What about her?”

Zari raised her eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you’re on Ava’s side -”

“There are no sides.” Nora said firmly. “Besides, it happened 15 years ago. Haven’t they both … moved on?”

“Sara never moved on, not really.” Zari muttered, then shrugged. “Fine. If you wanna cuddle up to Miss Pantsuit, I’m not gonna stop you. But don’t mention to Sara that she’s back.”

Nora wanted to point out that Starling was a small town, and they’d more than likely bump into each-other eventually, but a customer had come in and she focused instead on serving them and had to drop the argument.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tw: blood
> 
> forgot to say, the title and description are from lady antebellum - american honey
> 
> (1994 - 7 years old)

Ava woke up to a knock on her door. She dressed clumsily and opened the door to find Hank stood there, decked out in his full cowboy gear, from the bots to the hat, grinning broadly despite the fact that the low light outside meant it couldn’t be later than 6am.

Ava sighed. She’d forgotten about this. They’d had the meeting on Monday, where Hank had laid out the road-map for getting public approval and having Ava look over the paperwork to ensure it was legally watertight before it was submitted to the various boards and agencies who oversaw the process. He’d suggested, in passing, that they should take a ride around the proposed site so Ava could better answer questions when they had the public hearing, but Ava suspected Hank just wanted to get out of the office and still get paid for it. 

“You can’t ride dressed like that!” Hank said jovially. “I brought Merlin for you. He’s eager for a ride.”

“I’ll be ready in 5.” Ava said, trying her best to smile before slamming the door shut.

She had an old plaid shirt and a pair of jeans she hadn’t worn since college, which she’d really only brought because two suitcases of suits and pyjamas appeared a little depressing. Ava downed a cup of coffee then stepped outside to see Hank had brought the horses round – his own horse and a dark brown horse who Ava had never seen before, who must be Merlin.

Ava took a deep breath. She hadn’t ridden a horse since she was 18, but it must be like riding a bike – she ran her hands over Merlin’s soft leather saddle. Setting her feet in the stirrups carefully, she hauled herself up and settled herself on his back.

Hank was already up and trotting off, so Ava clicked her heels and Merlin began to follow. It was a little slow and jerky at first, but Ava felt herself slipping back into it as if slipping into a hot bath; she straightened her back and moved with the rhythm of Merlin’s stride. She grasped his rein loosely and patted his neck gently with her free hand.  
The ride was mostly silent, Hank only occasionally pointing out a landmark or a possible site for different parts of the fracking operation. All around them, the sky was growing lighter, transforming form a cold, muddy grey to a blue so pale it was almost white. As they climbed higher, Ava felt the sky slowly open up, almost swallowing her in how endless it was. The town was still visible, a jumbled smudge of buildings sat in the valley, surrounded by swathes of pristine ranch land, dotted with wildflowers.

It was beautiful, and Ava pointedly ignored the fact that she was fighting to allow some faceless corporation to rip it all up. Instead she tried to focus on what Hank was telling her about positions for head offices and access roads.

“We’re on Lance land now.” He said, waving his hand around. That got Ava’s attention.

“What?”

Hank raised an eyebrow. “I though you knew? The state owns the mineral rights for all of Starling. Sara Lance own the land, but not what’s underneath.”

“So, if this went through, we’d be destroying her land?” Ava asked, and Hank shrugged.

“Only if something goes wrong. The access point will be on Heywood land, this should be relatively unaffected.”

Ava looked out over the fields, to the huge white house and the few workers cottages dotted around. Up on the crest of the hill, she could see the cattle grazing and – a figure, tall  
in the saddle of a white horse, her dark hat and blonde hair barely visible over the distance, but Ava shivered all the same. She knew Sara was watching them.

“You two were close, back in high school.” Hank said, oblivious to Ava’s lack of attention.

“You could say that.” Ava muttered, only a little wistfully, before grasping the rein carefully and leading Merlin back down the hill.

/// 2019 ///

Nora had insisted on coming over that evening to catch up, and Ava was sure that if she saw another graph about projected profit margins she would explode, so it was a welcome break to curl up on her sofa, nursing a glass of wine whilst Nora went over some of her upcoming wedding plans.

“I always knew you would marry Ray. You two were just too perfect together.” Ava said, and Nora ducked her head to hide her smile. 

“He took his own sweet time realising that.”

“Felicity wasn’t too bad! And I liked Kendra.” Ava said with a grin and Nora just shook her head.

“She never got over her ex. They’re married now – her and Carter. They moved away just after. I think they have a baby now.”

Ava nodded and took a sip. “I can’t believe how much has changed around here. Starling always felt like it was … stuck.”

Nora shrugged. “Not everything changed. Most of the Legends are still around,” Ava snorted at that dumb nickname they’d given their group of friends, aged 11, determined they were going to change the world. Ray was the only one who really had; Ava had seen articles about him and his giant tech company that was transforming Star City and the smartphone. Nora continued, slightly wistfully, “Nate and Mick work up on the Lance Ranch, with the new girl Charlie. She’s pretty mysterious, just rocked up one day from out of town. Sara says she’s a decent worker though, so we’ve kinda adopted her. It’s weird though, she’s the spitting image of Amaya – she moved back to Zambesi.”

“And Sara?” It came out before Ava could stop it. Nora looked at her.

“She runs the ranch now. Took over when her dad died.”

“Her dad? Quentin?” Ava asked, and her heart broke all over again.

“Yeah. It was a routine traffic stop, but he busted the wrong guy and got shot.”

“Oh, and after her sister -”

“You knew about that?” Nora said, expression confused.

Ava nodded. “I saw the news article.”

There was silence, and Ava had the same horrible sinking feeling she had when she first heard of Laurel’s death, stuck in her tiny flat in Washington and agonising over whether  
she should fly back to Starling. “Everything has changed.” She said quietly. 

“Not everything.”

“Zari – Zari hates me.”

Nora looked at her, gaze unflinching. “You left; you didn’t call. You didn’t come back. Some people find that hard to forgive.”

“I - I couldn’t.” Ava said, ducking her gaze to the floor. 

“I know it was difficult -”

“Please can we not talk about that.” Ava said quietly, and Nora looked at her, as if searching for something. She must have found it, because she nodded slightly.

“It’s just – Sara wasn’t the only person you left behind.” She said quietly. 

“I know.” Ava said. “I’m sorry.”

Nora looked at her and nodded, just slightly, before changing the subject. Ava just nodded and smiled and tried to ignore the weight in her chest.

//// 1994 ///

It was her first day at Starling Elementary, and Ava was standing awkwardly at the front of the classroom as her teacher gave a speech on being kind to new friends. Everyone was looking at her, which Ava couldn’t stand, she felt especially self-conscious in the blue puffy dress with a teddy-bear embroidered on the front that her Mom had insisted she wear. If it has been her choice, she’d be in her Spiderman t-shirt and denim dungarees, but she couldn’t argue, not when her Mom was so pleased she was finally dressing girly for once.

After what must have been an hour, the teacher pointed towards an empty desk at the back of the classroom, and Ava gingerly made her way down. On one side was a boy with  
neat black hair and a beaming smile, who waved at her, and on the other, a girl with blonde plaits and her two front teeth missing.

“Sara, I’d like you to look after Ava on her first day.” Miss Stein said gently, in that voice adults used for children to make it clear they now had responsibilities. Sara shrugged, seemingly uninterested, and Ava just sat down. They spent the morning practising spellings that Ava could already do, and she brushed off any help Sara tried to give her. She hadn’t been there half an hour and she was already bored, mind far away on the books she could read when she got home.

At lunch, Sara took her to the lunch hall, and they stood next to each-other in the queue. “What was your old school like?” She asked.

“Bigger than this.” Ava muttered, crossing her arms.

“Did you have friends there?” Sara said, sarcastically enough that some of her friends giggled, and Ava just scowled.

When they got seated, Ava found herself at the end of the table, cut off from the conversation. Sara clearly had her own friends, who were deep in conversation about going round Jax’s house and building a rocket ship. She poked the spinach on her plate.

“You gonna eat that?” Mick, who was in the year above and had a surprisingly deep voice. He was pointing to one of her cookies. The lunch lady had given her two, maybe because she recognised a new and nervous student when she saw one. Ava shrugged. 

When they’d eaten, they were let out to play, and the others ran off without her. Ava sat on the bench, fists clasped around her copy of Matilda, squinting as the glare of the midday sun made it hard to read. She put the book down to adjust her glasses, which had begun to slip down her nose. The playground was full of children screaming and hurtling about, but Ava paid them no attention. She was on the last chapter and nothing could stop her finishing the book before the lunch bell rang. 

Someone was shouting her name. Ava ignored it.

She heard her name again and Ava lowered her book, and a soccer ball hit her in the face.

Ava spluttered, the shock and the pain radiating out from her nose brought tears to her eyes. She looked up to see Sara staring at her, eyes wide. She could feel the blood pouring from her nose and her lip trembled as she tried desperately not to cry. 

“I’m so sorry.” Sara said, and Ava just turned and ran.

After the nurse had given her a wad of tissues and the bleeding had stopped, Ava was left on the plastic chair outside the principal’s office. She focused on taking deep breaths and gripped the edge of the chair. Someone appeared in front of her, and Ava looked up and scowled.

Sara at least had the decency to look sheepish.

“I didn’t mean to hit you.” She said quietly. “I wanted to just – tap you. I’m not good at soccer.”

Ava shrugged.

“I just – I don’t get why you don’t wanna play with us.” 

“I want to read my book.” Ava sniffed, then cringed because it hurt.

“Oh, yeah -” Sara pulled her hands from behind her back to give Ava back her book. “Mick kicked it in the dirt, but I saved it.”

“Thanks.” Ava muttered.

“Sorry you got blood on your dress.” Sara said quietly, sitting on the chair next to her.

“It’s okay. I didn’t like it.” Ava was starting to relax, just slightly. 

“Why are you wearing it?”

“My Mom wanted me to. She likes when I wear dresses.”

“That’s why I like living with just my dad.” Sara said, hopping up onto the chair next to her. “He doesn’t care what I wear.”

“Where’s your Mom?” Ava asked, and Sara shrugged.

“She left when I was like 4. My sister remembers her more than I do.”

Ava started to reply but was interrupted when the door opened, and Principal Heywood called them in. The office had two chairs set out in front of the desk, and both clambered up, Sara swinging her legs slightly. He looked at her sternly.

“So, girls, would you like to tell me what happened?”

Sara opened her mouth, but Ava beat her to it.

“We were playing, with the ball. It hit me because I wasn’t paying attention.”

Principal Heywood raised his eyebrow. Ava just sat, keeping her expression neutral. 

He let them go, after phoning Ava’s parents because a bruise was blossoming on her nose and underneath her eyes, and she should probably go to the emergency room. Sara waited with her in the office, and when it was time for her to leave, she gave her a fist bump.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Sharpe.”

Ava grinned, wide and bright ignoring the pain in her nose as she did. “See you later, Lance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> merlin is not a cat but a horse in this. it just be like that sometimes.
> 
> the teacher is lily stein, because she gives me serious primary school teacher vibes. in this universe she realises after three years she's actually a genius and then goes to work for nasa


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> if anyone has watched gentlemen jack you'll understand the dynamic of this fic: high wlw drama and a focus on fossil fuels
> 
> (1999 - 12 years old)

The Starling Rodeo was huge, the biggest thing that ever happened in the small town, as cowboys and girls from miles around came to compete. A circus seemed to roll in overnight; Ava remembered pressing her face to the car window when she was ten, watching as brightly coloured vans and food trucks rumbled through the town, setting themselves up on a field outside of town. Ava begged her parents to take her every year, mostly because as a child her two passions were horses and funnel cake, but they always refused. She went with her friends instead, to watch the showdown as Quentin and Hank competed against each-other to win, but mostly to enjoy the sun and the freedom of it all.

She could see them setting up on the opposite side of town from her window, and she didn’t think any more of it until Nora texted, insisting she come down to watch it with her. Ava had tried to refuse, but as it was Saturday, she technically didn’t have to be working, and Nora had promised she’d buy her a bag of candy floss.

Ava drove the familiar route and killed the engine, taking a deep breath. She couldn’t help but grin as a familiar face waved at her from the edge of the car park.  
Nora and Ray were stood together, and Ava didn’t quite know what to do, but Ray reached out and pulled her in for a hug.

“Ava! It’s been too long!” He was off then, talking a mile a minute, questioning Ava about her job and talking about his latest research project, and Ava just nodded along, weaving between the food stalls and crowds of people.

The stands were just the same as she remembered, tiered benches so everyone could see the central square, covered in sand. The event that day was a barrel race, so barrels had been set out in a pattern that meant riders had to twist and turn to get round them all without knocking any over. Ava had never liked the events which involved other animals, like bull riding and roping, she’d always pressed her face into Sara’s shoulder so she wouldn’t have to look, but Nora promised there would be none of that today. She sat next to Nora, Ray on Nora’s other side. He hadn’t let go of her hand all morning and didn’t seem inclined to now. 

Ava sat through the first few riders, recognising some, but she was mostly distracted by the bag of candy floss in her lap, and the feeling of deja vu that came with the warm sun, smell of hot dogs and sticky fingers. She jumped slightly when the announcer came on the tannoy.

“And that was Nia Nal, fantastic riding with Dreamer. And now, for the one you’ve all been waiting for - Sara ‘White Canary’ Lance, riding Gideon!”

Ava’s heart stopped. 

Sara burst into the arena, on a white horse, waving to the crowd. She couldn’t breathe, she looked at Nora but she wasn’t looking back, so Ava could only stare down at a woman she hadn’t seen for fifteen years and had sworn she would never see again. Sara looked older, but no less beautiful; she carried herself with a confidence she didn’t have at 18, riding the horse like she belonged nowhere else. She looked radiant, cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling, with her hair tied into a braid that ran down her back. She was dressed in a pale grey paid shirt that was embellished with an almost excessive number of rhinestones, her white hat and boots having suffered the same treatment. The voiceover was continuing, explaining how Sara was the most decorated female competitor since the competition started to include women in the 1980s, but Ava couldn’t listen. She’d tuned everything out – it was just her and Sara, but Sara couldn’t see her. She was just another face in the crowd.

She rode well, face determined and set as she raced around the arena, Gideon clearing every barrel with ease. It was clear she’d won, even though there were other competitors still to ride, and Sara knew it. Still as cocky as ever, she did a victory lap, waving to the crowd and high fiving eager kids. She was getting closer, and Ava could feel her chest seize.

Sara looked up; looked at her, and her face dropped.

They stared at each-other until something snapped, and Sara pulled on Gideon’s reins and turned her, riding back to where she’d started.  
Ava let out a shaky breath and glared at Nora. “You knew she was here, didn’t you?”

Nora shrugged, looking a little sheepish, then Ray leant over, smiling widely. “We’re all grabbing drinks later, if you want to join? I just thought -”

“No.” Ava said bluntly. She stood up, ignoring the protests from the people behind her. “I’m going home.”

/// 2019 ///

They always came to the same to Thawne’s bar after the rodeo, and the place was packed with contestants from out of town and locals. Sara didn’t think she’d ever seen this many cowboy hats in one place, not since Starling had hosted a country music festival in 2006. She sat down heavily in the booth where some of her friends were already sat, dropping her hat onto the table and glaring across the table. Nora had the decency to look a little guilty. 

“Where the hell did you find her?” Sara hissed, keeping her face neutral as several patrons came over to shake her hand and congratulate her on the performance. She’d won the barrel racing by a mile and was set to win the next day’s events too, but Sara didn’t care about that. When they’d gone, she turned back to her friend.

“In my defence, I didn’t think she’d come today.” Nora said with a shrug and Sara raised her eyebrows. “She’s always working -”

“You’ve been talking to her?”

“She’s back in town for a few weeks at least. She’s the lawyer for that energy company, Neron – the one working with Mr Heywood to start a fracking operation.”

“That’s my land.” Sara said, trying to keep her voice quiet. “She’s fucked me over before, and now she’s here to do it again -” Sara was interrupted when the rest of her friends returned form the bar. Ray slid into the booth next to Nora, pressing a kiss to her cheek, and Sara somehow ended up between Charlie and Zari, with Mick and Nate perched on the end. Mick pushed a beer towards her, and Sara nodded greatfully. “Did anyone else know about this? Ava?”

Zari was blushing, and Sara scowled at her. “She came to the café!”

“I also knew.” Ray piped up, wilting when Sara’s death glare moved onto him. “Nora told me.”

“I know, I saw you with her today -”

“I also knew. Zari told me.” Charlie said with a shrug.

That sparked everyone’s attention. 

“So you two are finally -” Nate made some gesture with his hand and Charlie nodded, Zari going pink. Sara raised her eyebrows and turned to her. Sparks had been flying between the two since Charlie had rolled into town, but Sara had always assumed it would never go beyond flirting, especially because Zari had cried herself to sleep on Sara’s couch after they’d shared a bottle of wine, sobbing about how she’d never gotten over Amaya and having her look alike working on the ranch was just too much. Sara had assumed she would get together with Nate, who was looking a little crestfallen. She started to say something, but Zari cut her off.

“I thought we were talking about Ava here?”

“Nice way to change the subject.” Sara scowled. “You should have told me she was back.”

“I didn’t think you’d want to know.” Zari said with a shrug. “You never really … moved on.”

“I’ve moved on!” Sara said indignantly, and Mick snorted.

“You sure did.”

“You moved on with Nyssa, Snart, John, Alex -” Nate started but stopped when Sara glared at him.

“Guinevere, that one at the club -” Ray picked up, and Zari laughed.

“Oh yeah, the Queen of France!”

“She was only a one-night stand.” Sara grumbled. “And only you guys call her that.”

“Only because you never got her name.” Mick grunted and everyone laughed.

“ – and however many there were when we went on that weekend to Salem.” Ray finished and Sara shrugged. 

“You all wanted to learn about the history of witchcraft. I was bored.” She said, taking a sip of her beer, then she piped up again, slightly indignantly. “So I have moved on!”

“None of them were long term though.” Zari pointed out. “When was the last serious relationship you were in?”

Sara stopped. She didn’t want to speak, because Zari was right. “Me and Ava weren’t serious. We were eighteen.” She muttered, slightly petulantly. 

“She was serious about you.” Nora said, in that upfront way of hers, and Sara shrunk back in her seat a little. 

“I don’t want to talk about this.” She muttered. “Anyway, if she’s working for Hank and Neron, you shouldn’t be talking to her anyway. Fracking would destroy this town.”

The group nodded, then Nate set his forearms on the table and looked at Zari. “So, what’s going on with you two?” He said with an impish grin.

As the conversation turned back to teasing Zari and Charlie, Sara sat back slightly, grinning and laughing in the right places, nodding when Nate offered to get the next round. Really, her mind was far away, focused on the blonde woman she’d seen from afar on the hill, then the face in the crowd, changed with time but with the same wide, sad eyes that she hadn’t seen in fifteen years. Sara could only drink and try to ignore the swirling in her stomach.

/// 1999 ///

They’d snuck away from the Lance’s New Year’s Party, which was mostly full of boring adults, Ava carrying a soft blanket and Sara an armful of snacks and fizzy drinks. They climbed for a little bit, unsure where they were heading, until Sara found a spot, plopped herself down and pulled Ava down next to her, draping the blanket over them, both giggling from the adrenaline of doing something they weren’t supposed to, and from the sharp incline they’d just climbed.

From their position they could see the house below them, with people and light spilling out into the garden, then the lights of Starling and, in the distance, the far brighter lights of Star City.

“What’s the time?” Sara asked quietly and saw Ava squinting through the darkness to look at her watch. 

“11:56, I think.”

“We’ll see the fireworks from here.” Sara said excitedly and felt Ava tuck herself further into the blanket. Their arms and knees were touching, and it caused funny tingles to run up and down Sara’s side. “I can’t believe it’s really happening. 2000 is gonna be a great year.”

“If the Y2K bug doesn’t destroy civilisation first.” Ava grumbled and Sara laughed.

“You gotta be more optimistic, Aves.” She said, elbowing her friend gently.

They sat in silence for a bit, Sara trying to ignore the cold and not focus on Ava, instead crunching her way through some pretzels. 

“What’s your New Year’s Resolution?” Ava asked, and she cocked her head in thought.

“Complete Pokémon gold. And get colour captain this year at camp.” Ava nodded, and Sara grinned at her. “What’s yours?”

“Um. I’m not sure. Finish ‘Little Women’?”

“You’re such a nerd.” Sara said, but was interrupted by a flash across the sky and a loud bang that made Ava jump. “It’s here!” She said excitedly, looking out to Star City, where a cacophony of fireworks began to fill the sky with endless colour and noise.

“Happy New Year, Aves.” She said quietly, and when Ava turned, Sara pressed their lips together.

She couldn’t say anything, only turn back towards the fireworks, an avalanche of emotions inside threatening to fall. She watched the sky and wondered if Ava was right, and the world was really about to end. 

She felt a soft warmth at her side, as Ava dropped her head onto her shoulder.

“Do you think we’ll be friends forever?” Sara asked, voice small and sleepy.

“Of course.” Ava said, holding out her hand. “Pinky promise.”

Sara reached up, linked their fingers. “Pinky promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact this is the longest avalance fic i've ever written


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> longest chapter guys so buckle in
> 
> (2004 - 17 years old)

Ava was in the supermarket, trying to rack her brain for something she could cook. She’d never really learnt how, her job had meant she lived off take out and ready meals, and now she was stuck. It didn’t help that she’d ran into Nora, who was gently teasing her about her lack of cooking skills as they did their shopping. There was a small packet of pasta, which she threw in the cart, then bent down to examine the sauces. She nearly fell over when she saw Sara out of the corner of her eye.

“Hey!” Nora said loudly.

“Hey, Nor.” Sara said, then stopped when Ava stood up. “And – uh – hey, Ava.”

Ava couldn’t speak, she couldn’t do anything, she just stood there awkwardly. She felt too tall, too out of place in her black suit and heels, hair still up in the bun.

“Hey, Sara.” She said quietly, trying to smile, even though she knew it was more of a nervous grimace.

“Hey!” Nate was stood next to her, and Ava smiled at him shyly, a little embarrassed that she’d completely glossed over him. “It’s great to see you. You buying dinner?”

“Uh – yep.” Ava said, and they were stuck, under the artificial lights.

“Well, we’ll see you around.” Nora said, beaming, and they pushed the carts past each-other. As soon as they were out of earshot, Ava turned to her friend. “Did you do that deliberately?” She hissed, and Nora raised her eyebrow.

“What?”

“Nevermind.” Ava muttered, blushing so hard she was sure her ears were pink.

She’d just calmed down when they reached the fruit and veg aisle. Ava jumped and nearly dropped the bag of peaches she was holding when she heard a voice behind her.

“Fancy seeing you here!” Nate grinned.

“Hey again.” Ava mumbled. 

“This is so weird!” Nora said, grinning like a cheshire cat.

“Yep.” Sara said quietly, averting her eyes. “We should be going, the horses need -”

Nate interrupted her with a wave of his hand. “Mick’s on it.”

“Right – uh – yeah.” Sara muttered.

“How’s the ranch?” Nora asked, and Sara shrugged.

“Oh, y’know, the same.”

“Are you coming to the public hearing tonight? At the town hall?” Nora asked and both nodded, and Ava’s stomach dropped. She was already nervous enough about giving the  
presentation, and knowing Sara was going to be in the audience –

“We should -” Ava said, and Sara nodded.

“Bye.” Sara said, and they moved past each-other. They managed to make it to the checkout without running into them again, but as Ava shoved her food into the bag, she saw Sara and Nate doing the same in the lane across from her. Nate waved enthusiastically and Nora waved back, and Sara gave a small wave and Ava waved back, smiling despite herself.

/// 2019 ///

It seemed half the town had come down to the hall, slowly filling out the chairs, all looking at Ava. She was sat on the stage, all her information spread out in front of her – statistics, charts, pages of legal jargon, hiding her nervous hands beneath the table and trying not to make eye contact with anyone. They had to open the proposal to public scrutiny, and with nothing else going on in Starling, there was certainly a lot of scrutiny. Hank was at on her left and a representative from Neron, who introduced himself to Ava as Desmond Laveau. His crisp suit and cold eyes set her on edge, but Ava tried to ignore it. 

The doors shut, and the room quietened down. Ava made it through the first part of the presentation with practised ease; she explained the project, how it would bring hundreds of jobs to Starling and leave no permanent environmental damage. Hank picked up where she finished, then Desmond gave a speech from the perspective of Neron. They fielded questions from a few angry and a few more reasonable residents. Ava felt confident, she only faltered a little when the door opened and Sara walked in, tucking herself among the latecomers at the back. Ava could feel her staring, she was no face in the crowd this time, Sara was deliberately looking at her.

She raised some questions about cases of water becoming flammable because it was full of gas, and other types of environmental damage, with Desmond handled with ease and a creepy charm. Sara clearly wasn’t convinced, but everyone else seemed to be. The presentation ended and the crowd filtered out, some staying behind to talk with Hank or Desmond. Ava had just grabbed her bag and was hoping to make a swift exit when she felt a hand on her arm.

“A job well done, Miss Sharpe.” Desmond said, and Ava smiled, despite the fact that the hand on her arm was unnaturally cold. “I look forward to working with you on this.” 

///

The car wouldn’t start. Ava sighed, long and deep and dropped her head to the steering wheel which accidentally set off the horn, which caused her to jump. She got out and kicked the tyre. “Stupid thing.” She muttered under her breath. 

She could see someone underneath a street light a few spaces away, standing by a truck. There weren’t many cars left in the town hall car park, almost everyone had gone home, so she approached them cautiously.

“Hi, sorry, it’s my car - ”

The person turned, and it was Sara, stood with her arms crossed. 

“You okay?” 

“I can’t – it won’t start.” Ava said, suddenly awkward. “I’ll just call someone.” She started to turn back to the car, but a noise from Sara stopped her.

“It’s still that weird guy down at the garage – Vandal Savage.”

“Really? The one who was obsessed with Kendra even though he’s like a thousand years old?” Ava said, slipping back into her high school mannerisms for a moment. Sara smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, it’s him.” 

Ava groaned. She really didn’t want to be sat in a dark, half empty car park with that creep.

“I can take a look, if you want.” Sara said, rubbing the back of her neck, which surprised Ava. That was her nervous gesture, and Sara was rarely nervous. “I have all the tools in my truck.”

Ava nodded and popped the hood as Sara pulled a bag from her truck.

“I think it’s the oil.” Ava said, pointing at a part of the engine. “Or it’s the -”

Sara pulled her head out from the car and looked at her with her eyebrow raised. “Can you let me look first?”

Ava shrugged. “If you know what you’re doing -”

“I run a ranch, Ava, it’s my job to know this.” Sara muttered. “I fix the tractor like, every week.”

She was right, but Ava was too proud to say, so she pulled the door open and sat in the passenger seat with her legs out the side. It was awkward and cold, and Ava was a little afraid of how quickly they’d found themselves bickering again like it was high school. She tried to look busy by checking her emails.

“Do you ever turn that thing off?”

She looked up to see Sara sticking her head out from under the hood to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s for work. I need to keep … on top of things.”

“They’re still emailing at this time?” Sara said, voice muffled.

“They might be.” Ava muttered, drawing her arms around herself and pocketing her phone. “Are you done yet?”

There was no reply, and Ava hopped down to stand by Sara and peer into the engine. Just at that moment, something shifted, and a jet of oil spurted out and hit Ava square in the chest. She squealed and scowled at Sara who was trying to disguise her laughter.

“Y’know, Aves, I think it might be the oil.”

Ava scowled harder and fought the urge to pout. 

“This isn’t fixable right now, but I can come back tomorrow and sort her out for you.” Sara said, putting her wrench back in her bag and slipping her hat back on.

“Fine.” Ava said, sighing slightly. It was a long walk back to the Heywood ranch, but at least the stars were bright tonight.

“I’ll give you a lift if you want.” 

That surprised Ava, but the alternative was to walk god knows how many miles, so she nodded. The oil was seeping into her shirt and it was getting uncomfortably clammy. She climbed into the front seat and Sara wrenched the car into gear and they began to roll out of the parking lot.

It was only a little awkward, and Ava couldn’t bear to break the silence, so she just sat and watched the lights flit by out of the window. They were half way home when Ava made a  
noise so loud Sara jumped and swerved slightly.

“Jesus, Ava -”

“I left my shopping in the car.”

Sara started to laugh, and Ava sighed, trying to ignore how the sound gave her goosebumps.

“That was my dinner!”

“It’s really not your night, is it?” Sara said, trying to hide her laughter. “We’ll take a detour.”

She parked up and told Ava to stay put. In ten minutes, she was back, carrying two large pizza boxes.

“Starling got a pizza place?”

“Hex’s started doing take out.” Sara explained, setting the boxes on Ava’s lap. “I got you – pineapple, ham and peas.”

“You remembered.” Ava said quietly, looking at Sara, who was looking back at her with a wry smile. The soft, blurred light from the street lamp caught her off guard, Sara’s hair looked so soft and her hands so sure as she grasped the wheel and started the engine.

“Couldn’t forget that.” Sara snorted. “It’s the weirdest – you can’t eat that in my truck!”

Ava already had a piece in her mouth. “I haven’t eaten since like seven this morning.”

Sara looked at her, then shook her head. “Fine. But don’t get any sauce on my seats.”

“Your truck is already gross.” Ava said around another mouthful. “The back is full of fence wire and loose hay.”

Sara sighed, like she was about to argue but didn’t. They sat in silence for the rest of the journey, Ava happily eating her pizza, until they trundled to a stop outside the Heywood ranch house.

“Thanks.” Ava said, awkward now because she was pretty sure she had sauce on her face, and it was dawning on her now that she was alone with Sara. “Do I – how much do I owe you?”

“It’s okay, Aves.” Sara waved her hand. “I’ll fix the car tomorrow, if you want.”

“Thanks.” Ava muttered. She dropped Sara’s pizza in her lap and jumped down from the truck, trying not to get pizza on her already oil stained shirt. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” 

Sara nodded and have her a half smile. Ava just stood in the driveway as Sara drove away.

The next morning, her car was in the driveway, her shopping in the back seat, Sara nowhere to be found.

/// 2004 ///

It wasn't unusual for Ava to be round Nate's on a Saturday night - his house was huge and his mom always filled the kitchen with snacks so they could just lie around and watch whatever film he'd rented from Blockbuster that week, but this particular Saturday, his parents had left to go to a wedding, and Nate had taken advantage of the empty house by throwing a party.

Ava felt too tall and out of place, almost everyone was drunk, but Ava had promised Quentin that she would get Sara home safe, so she was stood in the corner cradling a can of diet coke.

She nodded slightly at a clearly drunk Ray, who threw his arms in the air and cheered. Nora was behind him, and she rolled her eyes fondly in Ava’s direction, clearly signalling she was on Ray watch for the night. Ava grinned, then jumped slightly when Zari sidled up next to her.

“You’re sober too?” Zari said, in her slightly deadpan tone, and Ava nodded. “Great. It sucks being the only one at these things.”

“I promised I’d drive Sara home. She’s got a soccer meet tomorrow.” 

Zari raised her eyebrows.

“What’s that look for?” Ava said with a wry smile and took a sip of her drink.

“You know you’re in love with her, right?”

Ava coughed, then tried to cover up her embarrassment by wiping her mouth but she knew her blush had given her away. Zari was just looking at her expectantly.

“Uh, no -”

“She’s all you ever talk about. And when you do – just, face it Ava, you’re in love with her.”

“Keep it down.” Ava said, pulling Zari closer so they wouldn’t be overheard. “No one can know. My parents can’t know.”

Zari rubbed her arm sympathetically. “I’m sorry. I know it’s hard.”

“She can’t know either.” Ava said. She knew she was panicking, but this was the first time anyone had called her out on the painfully obvious crush she’d had on Sara since she was 13, and she couldn’t stop. “She’d hate me. They’d all hate me.”

“I can’t speak for your parents.” Zari said, being serious for once. “But Sara could never hate you.” Ava muttered something which may have been ‘easy for you to say’ but looked up when Zari tapped her arm again. “Trust me, Sharpe. Sometimes love is worth the risk.”

Ava was on the verge of tears, she sniffed and tried to compose herself when a pretty drunk and completely oblivious Nate barrelled into her. “Heyy, guys! If you’re looking after Sara, you better go outside. She’s drunker than I’ve ever seen her.”

Ava groaned, and, after promising to come back, she made her way outside to find Sara with a group of Laurel’s friends, taking shots. “Ava!” She yelled, stumbling over to wrap her arms around her, and Ava reached round to hold her up.

“You alright?”

“Never been better.” Sara said, a dozy smile on her face that made Ava’s heart stutter. “Come – some do shots, Felicity has like – so many -”

Ava tried to refuse, but Sara was dragging her along anyway, pulling her by the hand. 

“Sara – I don’t think -”

It was then that Sara slipped, careering into the pool, and it was only a split second before Ava jumped in after her, taking her by the shoulders and pulling her up, frowning when Sara burst into laughter.

"Aves - Aves, it's okay. I can stand. I'm fiine." She said, slurring slightly.

"You're drunk." Ava said, pushing the hair from her eyes and shuddering slightly. "C'mon, we're getting out of here, it's far too cold."

She was stopped by a hand on her arm, and she turned back. Sara's hair was slick to her face, her mascara running slightly, but her blue eyes were fixed on Ava, and they seemed to sparkle as the water did.

"I wanna try something." She said in a half whisper, and before Ava had time to react, Sara moved forward, and their lips connected.

///

They were in the car, Sara dozing, dressed in a hoodie Ava had in the back of her car that was far too big on her. Ava drove in silence, eyes focused on the road and not on how she was slowly soaking her nice car seat or how Sara was snoring slightly in her sleep or how her lips were still tingling from the kiss.

She drove until she reached Sara's house, where she pulled up outside and slowed the car to a stop. When she looked over, she saw Sara was awake, looking at her.

"I brought you home." Ava said, a little redundantly. 

"I can see that." Sara said, then yawned. The alcohol had left her system and now she was sober, but clearly exhausted.

They got out and walked to the door. The light clicked on as they got to the porch, and Ava suppressed a shiver as the cool night air hit her wet clothes and Sara fumbled around in her pockets for her keys.

"Thanks. For looking after me." Sara said quietly, and Ava smiled.

"Anytime." 

She turned to leave, but a noise from Sara stopped her.

"Aves - I'm sorry. About earlier, in the pool, I don't know what I was thinking -"

"I didn't mind." Ava said, surprising herself. "As long - as long as you meant it."

Sara's face broke into a smile, wide and bright and a little unsure. "I did."

Ava hadn't had any alcohol that night, but something was coursing through her veins that made her feel just bold enough to lean forward and bring their lips together again.

"Finally."

They broke apart, and saw Laurel standing in the doorway, a soft smile on her face.

Ava could feel herself blushing, but Sara had reached down to hold her hand.

"Why are you all wet?" Laurel said, eyebrow raised, and Sara groaned slightly.

"Can you give us, like, five minutes?"

Laurel rolled her eyes and shut the door, and Ava ducked her head, beyond embarrassed.

"Hey, Aves, it's okay." She reached out a tucked a strand of hair behind Ava's ear. "She's right, y'know."

"What?"

"We've kinda been a long time coming." Sara said, a soft smile on her face.

Ava just grinned, and as she drove home that night, she could swear the stars shone a little brighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope everyone knows the flashback scenes involve characters wearing the worst of 90s / early 2000s fashion. sara lance loved low rise jeans in 2004, don't @ me
> 
> obvs inspired by the supermarket scene in imagine me and you because it's a Classic


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tw: drowning
> 
> or the one where i finally explain why ava left fifteen years ago
> 
> (2005 - 18 years old)

Ava groaned.

Three things had happened that morning that she didn’t want: Gary had texted her very excitedly that he’d finished She Ra: Princesses of Power, Mona had texted her about how quaint the mountains were, and Hank emailed her to say she was overworked, so he’d gone over her head and brought her two assistants down from Washington to help.

She found them both in Hank’s office, beaming with excitement.

“We need to show the environmental surveyor where he needs to go. I thought we could take these two with us.” Hank said, grinning.

“I’ve never ridden a horse before.” Gary said in a stage whisper. “Is it hard?”

Ava swallowed and tried to smile. It was going to be a long day.

They saddled up, Ava using all of her patience to show Gary and Mona how to do it. Luckily, Mona seemed preoccupied with flirting with Konane, the quiet and rather hairy environmental surveyor, so Ava was only stuck with Gary asking her a million questions and squealing every time his horse made a sudden movement. 

“Ava? Who’s that?” Gary said, pointing, and Ava looked over to see Sara galloping over the hill towards them. She smiled, despite herself.

“Howdy.” Sara said, tipping her hat to the strange group. She seemed a little stiff and guarded, Gideon stood stock still, but she smiled when she saw Ava. 

“Hey, Sara.” Ava said, trotting Merlin up to her. “It’s the environmental surveyor, he just needs to see the lay of the land -”

“Hello!” Gary said brightly, and Ava groaned internally. Sara raised an eyebrow.

“This is Gary. He’s my assistant back in Washington.” She said, and Sara whistled.

“I didn’t know you had an assistant -”

“Two actually. Mona’s over there.” Ava said, and Sara laughed. “You have ranch hands!” She said, slightly indignantly and Sara just rolled her eyes.

“Yeah but they don’t get my dry cleaning for me.”

“I only had him do that once.” Ava muttered trotting forward so she could ride side by side with Sara, Gary wobbling along behind.

“So how do you two know each-other?” Gary piped up, shouting a little to be heard over the sound of the wind and horse’s hooves.

“We met in elementary school.” Sara said.

“That’s sweet!” Gary said, slightly out of breath. “Any cute stories about little Ava?”

Sara smirked as Ava made an indignant noise. “Gary, please be professional -”

“She wrote a letter to Hogwarts when she was nine, claiming to be smart enough to go there early.” Sara said, and Gary burst out laughing. Ava just turned pink.

“That’s so cute!” Gary said, and Sara grinned fondly.

“Yeah, she was. Have you seen the pictures? She had huge glasses, made her look like a little bug.”

“He doesn’t need to know that.” Ava muttered.

“I haven’t seen any pictures of you as a kid.” Gary mused, and Ava cursed his ability to pick up horse riding so easily. If he was distracted by a fear of falling off, he wouldn’t be asking such inane questions.

“I don’t have many.” Ava said. “They’re at my parents house, and we haven’t spoken since college.”

“They never -” Sara looked over at her, eyebrows creased. “They never got over it?”

Ava shook her head.

“Is that why you haven’t been back here in fifteen years?” Gary piped up. Ava was at a loss for words; her eyes met Sara’s and she was the same, mouth a little open.

“Something like that.” Ava mumbled, then moved Merlin forward so she could catch up with Hank and try to forget the look in Sara’s eyes.

/// 2005 ///

"You're gonna go home and revise for that chemistry quiz tomorrow, right?" Sara said with a pout and Ava smiled.

"Yeah, sorry - you can come study at mine if you like?"

Sara blew out a breath. "I would but - I kinda need to pass this one. You're too distracting."

Ava lent in and their lips met; she was sure she'd never get tired of kissing Sara.

They said goodbye, and Ava was still thinking about the kiss an hour later when she cleared her desk to start work. She pulled her eyes away from the window – a storm was gathering. Her gaze rested on a textbook hidden underneath a pile of paper, and she frowned. She had her own chemistry textbook laid out in front of her, and when she checked the inside cover, Sara's name was written there.

She tried her girlfriend's mobile - no answer, so she bounded downstairs and picked up the landline, dialling a number she'd had memorised since she was eight.

"Hello?" A gruff voice came down the line, and Ava tried not to be disappointed.

"Mr Lance?"

"Ava! Does she need picking up?"

"What?" Ava felt her heart stutter.

"Sara - isn't she at yours? She said something about revising for chemistry."

"No. She said she was revising at home, but her textbook's here."

There was silence, then Quentin's voice was a little muffled as he pulled the phone away from his ear. "Laurel? Laurel, do you know where Sara is?"

"I'm gonna come over." Ava said quietly. Within ten minutes, she was in the car and rolling down the road under darkening skies, Sara's chemistry textbook forgotten in the passenger seat.

When she reached the Lance household, Laurel was on the porch. "I've called everyone - Zari, Mick, Jax - she's not with any of them."

Ava swore under her breath. 

"Only - only Oli didn't pick up." She said quietly. 

"Do you think she's with him?" Ava asked, and Laurel shrugged. Sara and Oliver had been friends since they were babies, but the image of Sara with Laurel's boyfriend having lied about her whereabouts didn't sound right.

"I tried his house, but his Mom said he wasn't there." Laurel looked up, eyes tired. "She said he was down at the boat."

Before Ava could react, Quentin came outside.

"Do you want me to come with you to look for her?" He said, voice strained, and Laurel shook her head.

"You should stay here in case she comes back. I'll go with Ava."

After they'd gotten back in the car, Ava turned to the passenger seat.

"Are we -"

"Go to the lake." Laurel said quietly.

They spent the drive in silence, Laurel on her phone and Ava trying to stay focused on the road - the winds were starting to pick up and a storm was on the horizon, and she hated driving in the rain. It was also getting late and getting dark, the change only hastened by the dark rolling clouds.

By the time they reached the lake half an hour later, the rain was torrential, and the sky was a furious purple. They parked up. Ava could see the lights of the boat, but it was far too low - 

"Somethings wrong." Laurel said, and they were both out of the car and running down to the shore. The rain was like bullets and Ava was wet through, but she couldn't see -  
Laurel was leaning over a shape and Ava skidded towards her, and she could see it was Oliver, soaking wet and in his underwear. "Where is she?" Laurel almost screamed. "Where is she?"

"I don't know, it happened so fast -" Oliver was pleading with her, but Ava couldn't hear anything, only the wind echoing in her ears. 

A shape tumbled from the water onto the shore.

Ava was running towards it before she knew what was happening, she knelt down and turned her over, and it was Sara, face pale and body slick and cold, not breathing. She started CPR, tuning everything else out - the rain, the wind, Laurel's screams for help, the tears on her cheeks. 

Time stopped. 

Sara looked like an angel; hair spread out like a halo, lips a little blue, just in her white lace underwear. She took a breath. She twisted, throwing up, then took another breath, stuttering. 

Laurel was by her sister’s side, holding her face as Sara blinked up at her. Everything was now lit with the red and blue lights of the ambulance. 

Ava didn't say anything. Her face was numb. 

They took Sara away, the paramedics wrapping her up in a silver blanket, and Ava was left alone in the rain, her knees slowly sinking into the sand.

Laurel's hand was on her shoulder, pulling her up. "I'll drive to the hospital." She said quietly. Ava handed over the keys.

///

"I'm gonna - I'm gonna phone Dad." Laurel said quietly, squeezing her arm. 

Ava took a deep breath. "I'll go and see her." She said, her voice hollow.

A nurse led her down the corridor and into Sara's room. She was sat up in the bed, hands worrying at the edge of her sleeves - the hospital had given her some light pyjamas to replace her sodden underwear, and they were far too big for her. Ava coughed, and Sara looked up at her with wide eyes and pink, tear stained cheeks.

"Ava?"

"Hey." Ava said quietly, suddenly unsure of where she should go. She stayed standing by the bed.

"Ava, I'm so sorry -"

"How long?" Ava asked quietly. Sara blinked.

"I'm sorry?"

"How long have you been fucking your sister's boyfriend?" It came out far harsher than Ava had intended, but she was so tired. Sara's lip quivered.

"Ava -"

"Just answer me." 

"Four months." Sara whispered. and Ava's world came crashing down around her. "I'm so sorry, Ava, I don't know what I was thinking - "

"Don't, Sara, just don't." Ava said, the quiet anger running through her veins spilling out into her tone. "Your sister's here, and your dad’s on his way. Don't call me."

She turned and left, shutting the door behind her, which silenced Sara's pleas. Then she walked back down the corridor, through the waiting room and out into the parking lot. She didn't look back.

/// 2019 ///

Everyone else had gone by the time Ava lead Merlin into the stable and started the process of unbuckling his saddle and blushing him down. Being alone felt nice; she could finally breathe again. Merlin huffed and she patted his neck. “It’s okay. You’re home now.” She said quietly, rubbing her hand along his back.

She turned when she heard a noise from the door – it was Sara, who hopped off Gideon.

“What are you doing here?” Ava said, and Sara looked at her, expression unreadable.

“What’s it to you?”

Ava rolled her eyes. “Some things never change -”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sara said, her voice hard.

“You, being stubborn.” Ava muttered.

“No one made you come back here.” Sara said. “You made it clear you were never coming back.”

“What, and you had nothing to do with that?” Ava said, voice rising slightly. Sara ducked her head and crossed her arms.

“It wasn’t -” Sara sighed, stepping forward. “Aves, I drowned, I died, and I was scared shitless and you left me -"

"You'd been fucking Oliver behind my back." Ava hissed. "For months. I couldn't - I can't forgive you for that."

"I was eighteen, Ava, I made a mistake."

"Once is a mistake, months is a pattern." Ava could feel her voice getting louder. She hadn't realised how much she still cared, but she did, and the anger and fear were clawing at her chest. "I don't even - why did you do it? Did I do something wrong?"

Sara ran a hand through her hair. "No. No, you didn't do anything."

"Then -"

"You were always smarter than me, Aves." Sara said, resigned. "You - you were going off to college, and I was staying on the ranch, and I thought you were gonna leave me, and I thought it would hurt less if I didn't care as much."

"Sara." Ava stopped. "Sara - I would never have done that. I always knew -"

She couldn't finish. Sara raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"I always knew you were it for me. Since - since we met." Ava said. 

The truth of it hung in the air. Sara's eyes were wide and confused.

"But you left -"

"Because I thought you didn't love me." Ava's voice was hoarse and quiet, as she tried to hold back her tears. "I couldn't live here and see you every day if you didn't love me." She was crying now, crying properly, tears rolling down her cheeks and she shut her eyes. When she opened them, Sara was gone, and she was left alone in the stable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the saddest yee haws only please


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> thanks for sticking around! i've made a playlist for this fic (just search wild wild whisper on spotify if the link doesnt work lol) - its a whole bunch of country cowboy hits that inspired me! best listened to in order (thanks to Song Fairy for the song Everywhere!!) https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1ne2IRVxjHRwK4RIFnRo1B?si=iqhic19zQgmBBWmkby0SXw
> 
> (1995 - 8 years old)

It had been a quiet day, Ava hadn’t gotten much done, her last conversation with Sara swirling in her mind. The clouds were also swirling, and as it got later, the sky got darker and darker, but Ava ignored it and tried to focus on putting the final touches to her report. Submitting this on the behalf of Neron would likely get the project approved within a week, which would mean she could go home and get back to normal life. Hank had put Mona and Gary up in a hotel in Star City and had them running around petitioning various officials to approve the project, which had helped speed things up, even if Gary was texting her every ten minutes to ask questions.

Ava jumped when the shutters rattled, the winds forcing their way through the cracks in the dilapidated old house and making it shake. She tried to calm her breathing, think about this rationally, but she jumped again when the back door slammed open, the rain following with a fury Ava hadn't seen since childhood. She grabbed her phone and slipped on her shoes, running outside. 

It was so much worse thank she'd thought, so black she could barely see, the rain soaking her through on just the short journey from her door to the truck. She jumped in and started to drive. The lights were on full and the wipers were going back and forth like mad, but neither did anything to improve visibility, as Ava took the thankfully deserted road. She jerked, swerving the car slightly when a clap of thunder rocked the car. She couldn't make it into town, she was stuck out here -

A shape rose in the distance, through the darkening skies, and Ava drove towards it almost instinctively, pulling up outside and slamming her fists on the door when she reached the house.

There was a heart stopping minute when she thought she wouldn't open up, but there was a sound from within the house and the door opened, and Sara was there, hair soft around her shoulders and eyes wide.

"Aves?"

Ava just sniffed, slowly drowning in the pouring rain, until she felt a hand on her arm, pulling her inside. Sara reached up to push the slick hair back from her forehead.

"The house was - I think it was gonna flood." She whispered, as she shivered again, and Sara looked up at her with wide, kind eyes.

"You're still afraid of storms, huh?"

Ava nodded, trying her hardest not to cry, because she was cold and alone; she just wanted to feel safe again.

"C'mon, you can have a shower, you shouldn't stay in those went clothes." Sara murmured.

She had a shower and got changed into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt that were soft and smelt of Sara's laundry detergent, which helped more than Ava would care to admit. She moved back through into the living room, where Sara was sat on the couch, on her phone.

She looked up. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"You don't need to look after me." Ava said quietly. "I'm sorry I came."

"Aves, it's okay." Sara smiled, slightly sadly. “We should talk.”

“I’m sorry.” Ava said quietly, and Sara ducked her head.

“Aves -”

“No, I am. You were right, I left you, that was wrong and -” Ava took a deep breath and their eyes met. “I’m sorry I didn’t come back when Laurel – when Laurel died.”

Sara’s face fell; there were tears in her eyes. “You got my message?”

Ava nodded. Sara had called her, left an answerphone message, sobbing so hard she could barely get the words out, and Ava had cried herself to sleep too. “I couldn’t face it. I’m so sorry.”

“I was so stupid, I lost the two most important people in my life that day.” Sara mumbled, hands worrying the edge of her shirt. “It was only eight months after, she never forgave me.”

“Sara,” Ava reached out and rubbed her arm. “She loved you. She just needed time.”

“You never forgave me.” Sara sniffed. “I’m so sorry, Aves. I never wanted to hurt you.”

Ava sighed and smiled, noticing then there were tears on her cheeks. “It’s okay, Sara. It’s okay.”

Sara opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, but was interrupted when the lights suddenly fizzled out, leaving them in the pitch black. Ava's breath caught in her throat.

"Shit - there are candles in the drawer - " Sara's voice floated through the darkness, but Ava couldn't move. 

There was a hand on her arm. "Ava?"

Ava nodded, then realised Sara couldn't see her in the dark.

"Today isn't your day, is it?" Sara said quietly. "It's late. I'll take the couch."

"Don't leave me." Ava found her voice, stuttering out the plea, then blushed. "Please, I'm sorry -"

The hand on her arm stilled, then moved down to take her hand. Sara was pulling her up and along, and Ava followed, allowing herself to be taken up the stairs. They reached the bedroom when the bed was lit by a flash of lightning, which caused Ava to whimper involuntarily. She got in the bed, not bothering to change, and Sara followed, pulling the blankets over their heads.

There was a shuffling noise, and a switch clicked. Ava laughed when she saw Sara, grinning, face lit from below by a torch. The noise from outside was muffled by the thick comforter, and the space between them was becoming overheated, but Ava could feel her heart slow down.

"We haven't done this in -" 

"Twenty years." Ava interrupted, blowing out a breath. "It's been twenty years."  
Sara whistled and they both giggled, a little awkwardly. There was silence as their laughter tapered off, save the thrumming of rain on the windows. Ava just stared, taking in Sara’s face with unabashed fondness, undiminished by age or time. 

“Well – um – goodnight.” She muttered, turning slightly to hide the fact that she’d been staring.

“Goodnight.” Sara whispered. There was a small shuffle, then Ava felt a hand in her own.

She didn’t dare move.

Sara was quiet for a few minutes, and Ava had thought maybe she’d fallen asleep when she heard a small whisper.

“You don’t seem - you’re not afraid of the storm.”

Ava smiled. She wasn’t, not really, the rain had lost its anger, creating only white noise. She was safe, in the golden light of the torch and with Sara’s hand in her own.

“Only when you’re here.” Ava said quietly, but Sara was asleep.

//// 1995 ///

"I double dare Nate to -" Sara paused for dramatic effect as she looked around the circle. Ava giggled. It was the first time she'd been allowed to stay overnight at Sara's, and all her friends were there in the basement, surrounded by snacks, cans of soda and blankets. Sara's house was wonderful, a beautiful ranch house with a basement that her family called the den. She'd been so excited she'd arrived at the house at 6 exactly, clutching her backpack and her favourite soft toy, a grey rabbit named Rainbow. 

"- I double dare Nate to put ten marshmallows in his mouth!" Sara said gleefully. He did, with lots of coaching and encouragement, until his face was puffed up like a chipmunk, and everyone cheered. Ava cheered too, only blanching a little when Nate opened his mouth and the sticky marshmallows tumbled out.

The games continued for another hour, before Sheriff Lance – or Quentin, as he’d asked Ava to call him when she’d entered the house and politely referred to him by his title, came in and told them it was time for bed. They ended up in a strange mishmash of blankets and sleeping bags, which was soft and surprisingly comfortable, but Ava couldn’t sleep. The sounds from outside meant a storm was close, and there was nothing worse in Ava’s mind than a storm. She got up and padded out the basement and up the stairs, stepping over a prone Mick and Nate, who had his arms curled around the biggest beebo toy Ava had ever seen.

The house was quiet and dark, and Ava couldn’t remember where Sara’s room was, and she didn’t want to try the doors in case she stumbled in on Laurel or Sheriff Lance – but she did remember the bathroom door, and she went in and launched herself into the empty bathtub. The tap was dripping, and the bottom of the bath was slightly damp, and Ava could feel it soaking into the hem of her pyjama bottoms. She sat, arms curled around her knees, and sobbed.

Another crack of thunder reverberated through the house, and Ava thought maybe the ground had opened up and was about to swallow them all, but she couldn’t do anything, so she held her knees tighter.

There was a crack of light. Someone had opened the door.

“Ava? Aves, are you in here?”

It was Sara peering in, hair made golden by the hallway light. She turned and saw her.

“Ava?”

She was crying too hard to form words, she could only look at Sara in the semi darkness.

“Are you hurt? Or sick? I’ll go get Daddy -”

“No please – please don’t.” Ava said, finding her words. “Please.”

“I can use the house phone? To call your parents if you’re sick?” Sara said, worry sketched on her face, and Ava shook her head, causing her hair to form a curtain around her face.

“No, they’ll just think I’m being a baby. Everyone’s gonna think I’m stupid and dumb and – and a baby.”

“Why would they think that?” Sara asked, before a flash of lighting caused Ava to squeak. “Oh.” Sara said quietly. “You’re afraid of the storm.”

Ava could only nod, the tears coming back in full force. She barely noticed that Sara had climbed into the bath next to her.

“It’s okay. It’s only rain.” Sara said quietly.

That didn’t help. She knew that, she understood it wouldn’t hurt her, but it made the sky dark and twisted, and Ava couldn’t escape the nightmare.

"Come with me." 

She blinked as Sara took her hand and pulled her up, out of the bath and along the corridor to the far end. Sara's bedroom was a mess, covered in toys and half-finished art projects, but Sara picked her way across the cluttered floor with practised ease, and Ava followed clumsily behind, laden down by exhaustion and unwilling to let go of Sara's hand.

They ended up on the bed, where Sara pulled the covers over them both.

"It's safe in here." Sara whispered, her breath hot. "I'll keep you safe."

“I want Rainbow.” Ava said quietly, wiping her tears with her sleeve and trying to calm the strange hiccupy noises she was making. Sara nodded and ducked out. After a heart stopping five minutes, the covers were lifted again, and Sara dived in, pushing Rainbow towards her, and Ava held onto him gratefully.

“Who’s that?” She whispered, and Sara pulled a bird toy from her sleeve, who was threadbare and well loved. 

“This is Canary. I like to hold him, when I’m sad. You can try, if you want.”

Ava nodded, shuffling so she could reposition her hand around the bird, her fingers touching Sara’s. 

She woke six hours later, tears dry on her cheeks and Sara's hand clutched in her own, the little canary lost at the end of the bed somewhere. The sky was blue; the storm had passed.

/// 2019 ///

Ava left before Sara woke, and drove back to her house to find it a little damp, but otherwise unharmed. It was clearly built of sturdier stuff than she’d realised. She left again with the hour and drove to Hank’s office.

She was a little surprised to see Desmond there, sat in Hank’s chair.

“Oh, sorry – I’m looking for Mr Heywood?”

“Mr Heywood is … indisposed at the moment.” Desmond said, in a way that made Ava’s blood run a little colder. “Can I help?”

“I was looking over the paperwork one last time, and I wanted them cleared up before I put in the recommendation to the Environmental Agency.”

Desmond waved his hand for her to sit, then sat back in his own chair, in a gesture that seemed calculated to disarm her. Ava kept her posture stiff and expression cool.  
“It seems the wording around the workers is a little … open to interpretation.”

“I wrote it like that.” Desmond said, with a smile. 

“But this opens up the possibility of outside workers being brought in to run the operation.”

Desmond raised an eyebrow and Ava’s heart sunk. “Exactly. I don’t want these small-town hicks ruining my operation. Neron would bring in its own workers; we’ve already sorted housing in Star City.”

“We – I promised this town those jobs. Unemployment’s high here, they need this.”

“You sound like you care.” Desmond said. “Hank assured me you hated this town. You haven’t been back in fifteen years.”

“I care about the people in it.” Ava said coldly. She flicked a few pages along in her report. “The shoddy environmental safeguards and loose guidelines for compensation – I assume this was your doing too?”

“The lower the costs, the greater the profit.” Desmond said, sitting further forward in his seat. “I don’t see what you’re going to do about it, Miss Sharpe. You get your cheque at the end of this.” Ava opened her mouth to respond, but Desmond looked at her, his eyes flashing dangerously. “Is there a problem?”

“Yes – you’re right. I’m sorry.” Ava said, swallowing her anger and smiling. “There’s not a problem. I’ll send the report right away.”

Desmond nodded, then raised his hand as Ava stood up. “Make sure you go in person and speak to a woman named Tabitha. Then tell her this is from me, between old friends.”  
Ava’s eyes widened. He was holding an envelope, and was smiling at her with those cold, dead eyes. She did her best just to nod and leave as quickly as she could, tucking it into her pocket. When she got home, she carefully opened it, and gasped. It contained hundred-dollar bills, around ten thousand dollars worth, and her expression hardened. It was now or never.

Ava remembered learning about Al Capone in school – everyone had loved learning about the gangsters and the illegal booze, and they’d played mafia and cops in the playground for weeks, but Ava had been most interested in how he’s been caught – not in some gunfight or raid, but by a bureaucrat, carefully going through his paperwork and indicting him on tax evasion. She’d tried to bring that aspect of the trial into their games, but Sara had just rolled her eyes and said ‘bureaucrats and mobsters’ wasn’t exactly a gripping adventure story.

She wrote it all down, the shady tactics used by Hank to wrangle the deal, how Neron had deceived the public, what the effect of the fracking would be to the ranchers and the small town. She worked all day and most of the night, paper spread over the kitchen table in such a mess it looked like a hurricane had ripped through the house, with mugs of half-drunk coffee perched precariously at the edges.

At midnight, Ava clicked send, packed her suitcase, and booked her flight back to Washington for first thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> does ava fly back to washington?? will sara go after her?? stick around for the final chapter to find out!!
> 
> also neron = enron beacuse what is legends if not a meta-textual commentary on climate change


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's the end kids!
> 
> (2004 - 17 years old)

‘Sara,  
You were right. Neron and Hank are up to something. I’ve emailed all the evidence I have to the Environmental Agency and the Commission on Corporate Fraud, hopefully it should be enough to stop them or at least slow it down. I’m going back to Washington. They’ll have me fired when they find out what I’ve done, so it doesn’t matter anyway.  
Thank you for helping me. I’m sorry.  
Yours, Ava’

Sara had found that in her mailbox that morning, along with a bundle of papers that proved what she was saying. She was stuck on one word, yours, because Ava hadn’t been hers since she was 17, and she couldn’t help but sit on her porch steps and stare at the delicate handwriting, the papers forgotten at her side. 

“Howdy, boss.” Nate said and Sara jumped. She hadn’t seen him there, and when she looked up, he tipped his hat to her. “I thought we could start repairing the fence today, up by the creek – Sara?”

Sara hadn’t realised she was crying, she wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand.

“What’s up?” Charlie asked, ambling up behind Nate, Mick close behind.

“What’s with all the paper?” He grunted, and Sara shrugged.

“It’s – it’s Ava. She’s not letting the proposal go through; she’s saved the ranch.”

Charlie wooped in excitement and even Mick smiled, but Nate raised his eyebrow. “Then why are you crying?” He asked gently, and Sara sniffed.

“I’m not. Is Gideon ready? I’ll ride out to the fence with you.”

“She’s ready.” Nate said. “But I still don’t -”

“Ava’s leaving.” Sara said, blowing out a breath. It seemed more real when she said it aloud. “She’s leaving, like before -” 

“Then what are you waiting for?” Charlie said, eyes wide.

“I’m not sure it’s such a -” Sara started, but Nate interrupted her.

“Sara, you need to go after her. She won’t know how much she means to you unless you tell her.”

Sara must have looked unsure because Mick dropped a hand onto her shoulder and squeezed.

“Go get your girl.” He grunted, and Sara steeled herself, grinning.

“Right – yeah, I’m gonna – don’t fix the fence ‘til I get back -”

“Go!” They all yelled, and Sara ran towards her truck, getting in at lightening speed, turning the key, only for her heart to drop when it made an awkward stuttering sound. Sara nearly screamed, slamming her hands down on the wheel, trying again and again, but the thing was dead. She looked up when she heard a noise, to see Nate leading Gideon along by the reins.

She got out. “Are you mad?” She hissed. “I have to take the highway to get to the airport -”

“Just go!” He said, slapping Gideon’s back as Sara jumped into the saddle and took off, galloping so fast she was almost flying.

////

It was just her luck that her flight was delayed by an hour – Ava considered making a fuss at the check-in desk to get an earlier flight, but she decided against it. The young man at the desk looked harangued, and she didn’t want to add to his already difficult day. 

The monumental stupidity of what she’d just done hadn’t dawned on her yet – she’d almost certainly be reprimanded, if not fired, and she’d lose her job and her assistants, who were arguably now her only friends, but it didn’t seem to matter. She felt strange, untethered almost, as if everything that had happened since the storm wasn’t really happening, as if everything since she’d last seen Sara was a dream. As if the only part of her that mattered lay in green pastures, under sharp mountains and the endless sky.

Ava just stood there, suitcases clutched in her hands, when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She turned, and there was Sara, looking distinctly windswept and unkempt, her hair loose over her shoulders.

“You didn’t leave.” Sara said, surprised and slightly out of breath.

“My flight was delayed.” Ava said, stunned.

“I thought – I thought you’d leave again, without saying goodbye.” Sara said, and just as Ava opened her mouth, Sara pulled a note from her pocket. “This doesn’t count.” 

“I didn’t think you’d want to see me again.” Ava said, quiet and measured, looking at Sara with pleading eyes. The other woman just smiled gently.

“Ava -” She said, like a breath, a prayer, a promise. “Ava, I love you. Time never changed that, distance didn’t either. I love you, and I’ll love you if you stay or if you go back to Washington and we never see each-other again.” Sara seemed to deflate at Ava’s stunned silence, and her hands started to worry the edge of her shirt. “I just couldn’t let you go without saying that.” She finished quietly.

For the first time in her life, Ava didn’t stop and think, she just leant forward, cupped Sara’s face and kissed her. When she pulled back, Sara looked a little starstruck. 

“I never stopped loving you. I’m sorry it took me so long to come back.”

Sara smiled, eyes bright, and she stood on her tiptoes to kiss her again. 

They were interrupted when a voice crackled from the tannoy.

“Uh – could the owner of the – uh – horse that is currently in the drop off bay please come to guest services.”

Sara blushed, and Ava raised her eyebrow.

“You brought Gideon?”

“I wasn’t thinking!” Sara said, slightly exasperated, and Ava bent down to kiss her again, laughter in her eyes and her chest.

/// 2004 ///

Ava’s parents thought they were having a sleepover at Sara’s house, which left Ava a full evening to spend with her girlfriend. The few weeks of their relationship had been awkward as they got to know each-other all over again; Ava had been petrified of how they were going to tell their friends at school, but Sara had just walked down the corridor holding her hand and kissed her by the lockers. No one seemed fazed, some of the boys on the football team made comments, but Sara used what she’d learnt from the self defence classes her dad insisted she go to, and it ended up with the boys in the emergency room and Sara suspended for a week.

“I can’t believe you got suspended.” Ava grumbled. They’d driven out to a high point on the opposite side of town, where Sara had parked the truck. They clambered into the back, blankets laid out underneath them. Sara just snorted.

“They deserved it, Aves. No one talks to my girlfriend like that and gets away with it.”

Ava laughed. “You sound like you’re in a film – I don’t need you defending my honour.” Sara just shrugged and Ava leant over to press a kiss to her cheek. “I like when you call me that.” She said, almost shyly, and Sara cocked her head.

“What?”

“When you call me your girlfriend.” Ava said, blushing now, and Sara laughed.

“Aves, you are my girlfriend.”

“I know, I just – I like it when you say it.” Ava said, hiding her face in Sara’s shirt. She felt a kiss on the top of her head.

“I’ll say it all the time, I promise.” Sara murmured, then moved to push a strand of hair out of her face. “Besides, I don’t care about being suspended, I get to spend more time with you.”

“It won’t look good on college applications.” Ava said, and she felt Sara shrug.

“I don’t care. I’ll run the ranch.”

“Sara, your grades are good, you could get in anywhere.” Ava said, lifting her head up, but Sara just smiled at her gently.

“Yeah Aves, only because your idea of hanging it is doing homework. I don’t wanna go to college; I’m not cut out for it like you or Laurel.” She said, pressing a kiss to Ava’s cheek. “You’re way smarter than me. You’re gonna kill it at college, they’ll be lining up to take you.”

Ava blushed, muttering something that sounded like ‘yeah, right.’ They sat there for a while, watching as the sun set and the sky filled with yellow and orange, Ava kept warm by Sara’s arms.

“You know I love you, right?” Sara said, so quietly it was almost lost. Ava sat up.

“You – you love me?”

“Of course.” Sara was looking at her, eyes bright and smiling. “Of course I love you.”

Ava tipped forward, kissing her, then moving back to press kisses all over her face; her cheeks, her nose, her forehead. Sara was giggling, swatting her away, until she gave in and let Ava kiss her.

“I love you too.” Ava said, warm and safe in Sara’s arms, mesmerised by her face which was lit golden by the setting sun. They fell asleep like that, and in the morning they got chewed out by Quentin for staying out all night, but for that moment they were happy.

/// 2019 ///

“Do you remember the first time I told you I loved you?” Sara said quietly. 

They’d ended up sprawled out in a field, halfway between home and the endless mountains, having drank for too much to even consider driving the truck. The field was full of wildflowers, and Ava was admiring them sleepily, her head on Sara's chest.

It was Nora and Ray’s wedding day, and it had been wonderful, a bright pale summer day, where Ava cried happy tears when they said their vows. She was Nora’s bridesmaid, dressed in a pale blue chiffon number, hair curled over one shoulder, flowers in her hand and in her hair, stealing glances at Sara who was dressed in a dark suit and blue bow tie as one of Ray's little entourage he's insisted on calling the 'best buds', as a gender-neutral alternative to ‘best man’. 

They danced that night, free and wild underneath an impossible number of stars, and Ava didn't think she'd ever been this happy. It was sunrise when the party ended, and the happy couple left on the back of Ray's horse,

“I remember.” Ava said, biting back a yawn. Dawn was coming, and the mountains glowed with its potential. “It was over at the lookout. We’d only been dating – three weeks?”

"If I asked you to marry me, would you say yes?"

Sara's voice was no more than a whisper. Ava blinked and sat up.

"What?"

Sara sat up too, and looked at her with uncharacteristic intensity, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Would you?"

"Yes." Ava breathed. "Of course I would."

"I'll ask you properly. When the time's right." Sara said, quiet and content. "Promise me you'll say yes then too?"

Ava held out her hand, pinkie raised, no longer trying to hide her beaming smile.

"Always. I'll always say yes."

Sara just linked their fingers, grinning too, and brought their lips together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> do they live happily ever after? i think that's for you to decide :)
> 
> thanks for sticking with this!

**Author's Note:**

> okay full disclosure: i actually live in england so all of this world-building is based on country songs, bad rom coms and where my girlfriend lives (rural Pennsylvania),, so feel free to correct me on any mistakes, but know that they were all made in the pursuit of creating a gay hallmark cowboy rom-com so it can be Justified
> 
> i've tried to sneak in as many references to other legends characters / things as possible, let me know if you spot them all!
> 
> comments / kudos always appreciated!!


End file.
